Resolve
by Raigon
Summary: To please everyone, made no one happy. I wish...only stop a tragedy. Now it's time to bring everything to an end, and all it needs is their resolve. (I wish trilogy#3)
1. Chapter 1

**To let go of someone you love isn't easy.**

**To say goodbye is hard.**

**Yet, what do you do when there is proof that your love one isn't gone.**

**Though you killed them with your own two hands.**

This was Master Splinter's problem.

He watched their movements, the franticness that showed they were ready to spring into action. Though they had no clue of where to go, or even in what direction their feet should take them. His youngest heads towards the door after their attackers, his eldest went for his weapons, and his remaining middle child went towards his lab. They were all a flurry of action, but there was not one rationale thought amongst them. Though he couldn't blame them at all.

If he hadn't seen him.

If he hadn't known everything that had happen from the beginning ...he would have been beside them in their call to action.

But, knowing what he did, as their father, he could do no less than to reign them in.

"To ma re."

They all froze in place. Time, patiences, and training had made this possible, and the older rat was glad he would have to do no more. He wasn't sure if he could manage it as his tail lashes out behind him and he made it a point to clamber to his full height before he addresses them. The entire thing looked like he was trying to be dramatic, but in fact, it was to help him gather his thoughts and his words. He would need both to be sharp as he moved to crush their hopes and their dreams. His own heart would constrict painfully as their eyes lock on him, and he took in their appearance as he let the silences hang heavily.

Leonardo, his oldest was trembling lightly. The wrist band that had been left behind by their decease brother was tight in his hands. Only little bits of red peeked out of his grasp, while his middle child would take one hand and touch the stitches in his plastron. It was the last gift that he would receive from his lost brother as he gently rubs it as though to calm himself. The gaping wound that must have decorated his chest before those threads were placed. He didn't have to imagine what it looked like, he had seen it. There was no way that he should still be alive, still standing, but the brother that had put those stitching there had done something. He had saved him as he did his eldest who's burns were still clear on his body. Patchworks of black and green and red, because, none of those burns were healed. He had gotten hit point blank by a bomb, though he was burnt, his wounds had to have been worse than that. Though Master Splinter hadn't seen those wounds himself.

He looks down at his own chest.

He had been dealing with his own fatal wounds …now gone, and those green eyes, he remembers the look on his son's face. He was dying as his red banded son had been pleading with him. Those eyes told him more than his mouth as the words were impossible to grasp, his son's wish to make him understand …before he was gone. Master Splinter was still unsure how he managed to get enough air in his lungs to speak to his son, but he was glad that he did have that chance ….before he was gone. Before, the son that had saved them all …was gone.

He couldn't speak then.

There was too much going on in his head as he would gesture for his sons to come forward and sit in front of him. Kneeling, kneeling was something he couldn't ask as he sat down himself in front of them, and they copy his movements. A semi-circle as the three turtles followed his directions as clearly and calmly as they would on any normal day.

His wish.

"My sons,"

Splinter would finally address them as Michelangelo would look up at his father with pure expectation in his eyes. His eyes were shimmering lightly with barely restrain tears. It was hard not to get overly emotional, especially after such a near death experience. They all, from their father to himself should be dead right now. He had seen how everyone had felt. Those bastards had pinned him down, made him watch, and they proceeded to beat him into unconsciousness and beyond. The wounds, one hand would go to his legs. The bastards that had attacked them had tried their darnest to make him suffer. The bruises that still litter the yellow green skin of the orange band turtle was proof of that. Wounds that they had inflicted of the lesser variety, because, the real killer had happened to his legs. The spike of pain so high that he could feel nothing else as they broke one leg to wake him up, and the twin that blazes so hot that his mind shut down to avoid being fried by it as they broke the other to shut up. Legs broken and bleeding out, he was sure he would have died without any medical attention and there was none coming. Yet somehow, their brother had saved them. The bits of red cloth that he clutch in his hands told him that much …parts of a mask that he had to shred and bind the wound as best as he could.

It shouldn't have been enough to save him.

Yet, there wasn't even a scar.

Master Splinter, surely must have an answer to this, and so, everyone listens and hung onto his every word.

"…calm yourself. Your actions will not help in this situation, nor will it solve our real problem."

Every eye was on him. Every eye was on Master Splinter as he spoke those words. Hope twinkle in their eyes, he would have a plan. He would know what to do, how to handle this, or at the least he would be able to explain this miracle.

"We need to think this through. There is no sense in more blood being shed half-hazardly."

It sounded a bit like scolding to his own ears, but, the rat master was simply trying to give himself more time. He needed it to find the right words, because the next thing he said would hurt them all. He delayed further with a question.

"What are the things we need to do first?"

"Find Raphael."

He asked them, and the answer that came back was united. Oh, how he hoped that he wasn't the only one who had seen it. Though he knew he was. He had hoped for a different answer still, and he drops his head when he didn't get it. Their eyes were still looking at him expectantly. From the moment that they saw their brother's body gone, they had figured he would lead them in the battle to get back their brother's remains. Though it probably wasn't remains in their eyes, but, their living breathing brother. They hadn't seen what happen, they only had his mementos to go with, and their own logic to draw the wrong conclusion.

"No, your brother is dead. Finding him, will not bring him back nor will it serve some greater purpose."

The look of hurt that flash through their eyes and the confusion.

"He saved our lives somehow, and I know for a fact that he is dead. His sacrifice will be in vain, if we die trying to retrieve his body. So, we need to focus on other things, we need to figure out how they find the lair. We need to find a new place to live, and we must be cautious, because I do not know if the enemy is aware of our survival or not."

The look of accusation cross his eldest face. He knew, Leonardo, would take these directions the worst. No, It was the worst because the maelstorm that should be here was gone; the son that would have exploded was dead. Maybe it was that realization that drown the flames in his eldest eyes before it seem his anger could gain strength. He drops his eyes to the floor and declares softly.

"Hai sensei."

Master Splinter's eyes would then shift to meet that of his middle child. A soft Hai would escape his lips before Master Splinter's eyes fell upon the youngest who was openly crying at this point. Tears, tears of pain and tears of rage would run down his face steadily. He was warring with himself, and the elder rat could only wait to see which side won. Blue eyes that blaze with rage would meet his eyes then.

"No."

A single word in the darkness.

A single word that refused to be lost to darkness ….as their missing brother floated in nothingness and yet was suffocating in it all the same. He couldn't feel anything but the downward pull that threatens to consume him, but yet, he continued to refuse it. Raphael wouldn't allow the darkness to have him again. He would escape, he would find his way to either eternity or back to his family.

This was his pledge.

(Chapter 1 finished)


	2. Chapter 2

Struggling did nothing.

He couldn't call out, and moving was impossible.

He had been here before.

The darkness that left nothing, the nothingness that was more than true darkness. The fact that he was alone here was probably the only differences. The last time he had been plunge here, a creature that wanted his body and to use him to free itself of some sort of limbo had been waiting. They had driven him deeper and deeper, to the point where he woke up staring at his own body. A body that moved without his direction, that did things he wouldn't have allowed, and that looked to be a better brother than he ever was.

They looked so happy, maybe, things were better this way.

He had actually thought that ….actually given it permission to continue the ruse.

Afterall, why should they miss him? He was cruel, rude, and dangerous at the best of times. How many times had he hurt his siblings, put them in a bad position, by simply being himself? Foolish, they loved him, they would never wish for him to disappear …even if it was for the best. Then this monster, this creature had given him the best of both worlds …he was still there in their eyes but not there. He couldn't hurt them anymore, and he had become everything they always wanted.

What he thought they wanted.

Yet, they started to pull apart the ruse. It wasn't enough. They were starting to figure things out, because, there was a tie there much deeper than those simple wishes. A bond, that only his true self could fill. There was acceptance that he never thought they felt for him and his actions.

His brothers ….

If he hadn't been driven out of his own body …maybe he wouldn't have known it.

They did understand him.

They do love him.

He will never get to tell them ….that he felt the same.

Yet, he didn't regret.

It was all thanks to his father.

His father.

He probably would have been more frenzy about escaping this darkness if he hadn't had a chance to tell him that he fault him for nothing. The monster in control of his body had made it impossible for him to return to his own body. There had been no other choice left to his father, because, the other option. Raph no longer had to worry about that one. His father had defended those Raphael was forced to leave behind by destroying both creatures, and then him.

It had to hurt.

Yet, Master Splinter knew he didn't fault him.

Hopefully it would be enough for his father to forgive himself.

Now …Now, he had no clue where he was or what was happening to him. But, he did know something …he wasn't going to be stranded here for long …no matter what.

"I won't give up!"

A voice mirrors his thoughts.

A cry of outrage.

"If that was any of us, Raph would have had to be pinned to the ground to keep from going after them. To keep from going after the ones that had attacked us!"

Mikey declares as he went from sitting to standing. His eyes were burning bright with his rage, but Master Splinter didn't look away. He met those eyes with his own and with a calmness he didn't exactly feel. He kept sitting and made sure his voice held the iron that he needed and not the grief that threaten to make him choke on his own words.

"That token he left you wasn't for vengeances nor to make you into his replacement. Your brother struggled hard to keep us safe, to protect and spare his family from further tragedy. He would have had to be restrained, your words are true, if that had been you, but, that is him and you are you. If he was here, he wouldn't want you to charge off like that, either. He would have helped us to restrain you if you act the way he would. My son, we don't need any more painful reminders of what we lost. So just be yourself, Michangelo. React the way that you would."

The words were a slap without intending to be, and those baby blue eyes would suddenly lose all that anger. Tears of sorrow would trail down his cheeks, and without anything more being said, he would nod and then rush towards his room. His way of dealing with grief has always been more open, and thankfully that wouldn't change now.

One obstacle side stepped as the brown rat would look at his remaining sons.

"Do you know what to do next?"

It was a focus, something to take their minds for the moment off of their grief.

"Hai, sensei."

Both of his remaining sons would respond as they move to complete their tasks. One would head back to his lab, to look over the security system to check for flaws. How the enemy managed to find them and get into their home without a guide and without setting off the alarm was a mystery. It is his job to find out, because, there can be no repeat of what happen.

A steely resolve on the face of a red mask turtle sat beside his two remaining sons.

The image would fade as quickly as it came.

NO, there can be no repeat .…never again.

Master Splinter would join his eldest son, they would head out into the sewer to look for a new home. With their secret out, the lair as they dubbed it, was no longer a safe.

Safe.

Would that word every apply to his family again?

The Master rat thought perhaps …not.

Afterall, he now knew the dangers to his family could come from within as much as in the world around them.

Voices.

In the darkness they floated to Raphael.

Words: anger, sadness, fear.

Somehow even as numb as he is, Raph could understand them.

Not mirror, not feel himself, but he could understand.

The voices seem to become clearer by the moment as he understood more and more of the feelings that surrounded them. Until finally, the darkness, the nothingness was pierced so clearly by a sound that he was actually able to follow it back to it's source. Though the darkness, through the nothingness, one eye ….would slowly open. A crack and then further as the world that had seemed to be a bottomless pit of nothing and darkness suddenly had light.

Realization of what that meant was suddenly blown away by an overwhelming pain.

He had felt nothing for so long that the sensation, shock him completely, and sent his mind screaming in panic back into the safety of darkness and nothingness. Yet, he knew now … he calm himself before he sank too deeply ….that there was a way.

That there was a way out of it, and his resolve grew firmer.

Next time ….Next time, he would not run away from the light.

No matter how much it burns.

(Chapter 2 finished)


	3. Chapter 3

He had to be wrong.

Donatello had kept it in his heart.

He has to be wrong.

Donnie had kept quiet as his father had handled his eldest with just a look, and soothe the youngest with his words. He had been quick to agree, because, he knew he couldn't stand against their father. He couldn't risk it.

His resolve would not be tested.

His resolve would not be shaken.

He had been heading towards the lab when he was stopped, and when he was dismissed, he had simply continued on the course. No one stops him, no one question him, for his father set him on a task that required the lab. A task that crosses his own, so perfectly that he wonder for just a fraction of a second if his father had known his true heart. Yet, that was impossible, for he would have stopped him.

Nothing should tarnish their brother's sacrifice.

He was sure this was his father's thoughts.

But, he needed the truth.

The genius turtle would go to his lab and head to the security system control just as his father had asked. He would look to see how they had managed to go through their defence, but he would also search for something else. The monitor would split into various screens, each one showing something different. The outside of the lair, the enemy would arrive to the first camera point without a hitch. There was no searching, no wondering, no point where they got lost as they went straight to the entrance. They even found the hidden keypad for the security system and put in the code to the lair.

Now he knew why there was no warning.

But, how have they known that?

He would have to check on Casey and April next, because, other than themselves, they were the only ones who knew the location and the code. His hands would go to the T-phone as he sent a message. Fear creeps in, but he throttles it down as he thought about their human friends. He wanted to talk to them, but he couldn't trust his own emotions right now. So, he opts for messaging. Nothing alarming, he knew they would have much to answer for when their friends found out what had happened, so, if nothing had happened to them …he didn't want to raise suspicion.

They both message him back.

They were fine.

Mystery not solved, but, he could move onwards with that knowledge.

His eyes would go to another screen.

The same time that the first camera picked up the enemies, it showed their family. The sadness, the grief, and Donnie saw how the entire events were affecting everyone. IF they hadn't been wound so tight, if they hadn't been drowning in their own sorrow, alarms or no alarms they would have heard them. Yet, that wasn't the case …as he looks away from that camera to the third.

Same time, but different scene.

He knew this was planted in the room where they had placed ….Raphael.

This was their storage room, their makeshift prison cell if needed, and many other things. So of course, there was a camera set up there. Though today, it serves as Raphael's coma ward. It was easy for them to set up everything there because it was so barren. The fact that it was out of the way, was a relief, so no one had to constantly look at their mistake.

Donnie shut the camera off quickly.

He didn't want to see what had happened in that room with their father, instead, he went to the next three cameras. Nothing ….at least, not on 4 or 5, but 6 showed that after the enemy was done wiping the floor with them …the one that stole Raph's body had gone a different direction. This puzzle him a bit, but for the moment, Donnie decided that this wasn't something he could solve. It was best to simply move onwards, and thus he went back to the one that showed him the inside of the lair. Camera number 2, and he steel himself for what he would be seeing.

The battle that took place was pretty gruesome, and it was over quickly.

Donatello had to admit it was kind of humbling to see yourself get taken out in just a matter of seconds and embarrassing as well. Though knowing some parts of it was due to stress and being taken by surprise help keep part of his pride in tact. He would have to make sure that this sort of thing never happen again …no matter what.

He would fast forward through the worst of the beat down, though he did slow it down at the part where they torture his little brother.

The mouse cracked underneath his fingers.

He didn't have Raphael's temper, but, anyone would get mad at what he saw. He would pay them back for everything they did to Mikey as he would unplug the ruin mouse, push it to the side, and simply install another one. This was a common accident. Afterall, he could restrict his lab, but not the computer. His brothers were clumsy with his things, so sometimes, it was simply better to have a back up.

He continued to watch, and he felt his eyes widen.

The enemy was dealt with by an invisible force. Their wounds tended, and the camera capture nothing of who did it, but the act themselves weren't missed. If he had hair it would have been standing up as he watch it all, until it got to the part where the invisible force was dealing with their father. Splinter's eyes would open as his wounds were dealt with, and the look.

IF there had been any doubt, there was none now.

Master Splinter knew.

And still ….still.

He gritted his teeth.

There was no sense in getting angry, but they would be talking. He will make sure, that his brothers all saw this ….that they knew what had happen. Then all of them would have a nice chat with Master Splinter. Donnie with that silent pledge left the screens and the security system behind, and went to find his youngest brother. No more secrets, no more being left in the dark. If they were to honor their brother's memory, they had to know everything. Everything that has happened to their sibling and why?

Then …then they would make the decision …whether to get their brother back or not.

(Chapter 3…finished)


	4. Chapter 4

(I hate to admit this, but I am ready to quit on this story. The direction to me feels like it's lost, and it's not getting much attention at all. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited or followed. If it wasn't for those people, I think I would have gave up on this one at least one chapter earlier. I am going to try and finish this ...this week. Because, if I don't, I have lost enough interest in this, that it will never be finished otherwise. Any reviews, I get, will be extremely helpful towards the cause.)

One glassy green eye stared at him.

He shivered.

He hated being in the same room as the corpse, and the fact that it had changed since the last time he had looked at it didn't make him feel any better. If he wasn't so sure it was dead, and if he didn't need it in mint condition for his plan, he would have put a bullet into it's head out of spite.

It was getting creepier to him by the moment.

"Stupid turtles, why couldn't they just die?"

He grumbles to himself as he started this plan. If everything went accordingly, he would rid himself of this job, his stupid employer, that creepy corpse, and the turtles all in one move. It was that good of a plan.

Meanwhile, Master Splinter returned with Leo to the lair …or their ex-lair.

They had found a new home, a better home, perhaps. Though there wouldn't be as much space. It wasn't needed. So, next came the hardest part, they wouldn't be taking everything with them. Time didn't permit, and thus, he would ask more from his sons …more sacrifice ..more pain.

His ears droop, and his blue mask son seem to sense the change in his mood …almost the instant that it happens. Those dark blue eyes would stare straight at him, and he felt for a moment into his soul.

"Sensei, it will be okay."

His words, those should have been words a father spoke to his son, and not the other way around.

Master Splinter smiled.

"In time perhaps ….in time."

Leonardo smiled back. Things were going to be so much tougher now, they had lost a brother, a friend, and a comrade in one. It would be so much harder now, and for the moment, Leo was trying his hardest not to concentrate on all the ways that their world had grown darker. Instead, he focus on what he could, keeping everyone's spirits up and helping Master Splinter keep the family alive and protected.

It was all that he could do ….at least now.

The return home, was going to be a sad one, Leo expected it.

What he didn't expect was for his two brothers to be waiting for them with an angry look on their faces. Their eyes were not locked on him, but on their father as Leo turn to look at their Master slowly.

What had he done?

Raphael wasn't sure.

He had been determined to get through the light, to last pass the pain, that when he succeed he was confused. One eye was open, the other, he knew was closed. But, how …why ….where?

The questions churn in his mind as he tries to focus.

He was alive. He wasn't sure how that had happened. Why that had happened, because, he had seen his father's strike. The move that should have killed him …had killed him, but in his mind's eye he saw something else. Trembling hands, could it had thrown off the fatal attack, but if so ….why couldn't he move.

His eye was open, but, nothing else responded.

Thus, he could do nothing more than stare at the back of a giant fox in what seemed to be a black gi. It's multiple tails tip with bits of blue flames swish in front of his eye. The creature was skinny, thin, and sneaky seemed to be carved into it's very being. It's body was red and it seemed to be sort of mutation that favors the animal aspect more than the human, so it didn't look like a cross between man and fox, but more of a bigger version of the animal with a few human changes.

Though the multiple tails ….was something that wouldn't be repeated in the normal variety so maybe his assessment wasn't completely true.

"Yes, yes, this should work ….this should work."

It mutters to itself.

"Only one problem …how to invite them to this little party? It's no fun, no fun at all, if the guests of honor don't know to attend. What do you think?"

The fox would turn to look at a corpse with an eye that wasn't glassy at all.

The silences that fill the room would become something quite thick.

(Chapter 4 ….finished)


	5. Chapter 5

(For everyone who read, reviewed, and followed ...thank you. I am trying, I am ...to finish this ...so, I am not spending as much time going over the ideas for this. It means I will post faster, but how well it will work with the pervious chapters is up in the air. Thank you for your encouragement and support, I hope I won't disappoint.)

Master Splinter sat before them with his legs crossed …the encounter at home hadn't been a friendly one. The accusation, and the fact that two of his sons saw him as the enemy wasn't a good thing, especially at this time. It had taken a lot of convincing and he had to force his own will upon them to make them take the few precious possessions and exit the lair. They wanted answers, and they wanted them then, but, it was a bad idea.

They had been attacked.

They had almost died due to letting their emotions get the better of them.

He wouldn't make a mockery of the second chance they had been given.

He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

So, he had made them move first, and promise them answers. They had gathered their few things, and when time ran out …he had expected them all to be gathered at the main living room to leave. It was well over time for their arrival that he had in his anger and rage decided to go find his wayward sons, since they had failed to appear. He figured it was another demonstration of their defiances, and he let his anger lead his steps. He hadn't thought about anything else, it hadn't cross his mind until he saw all three of them standing there.

His anger blew away in the face of their grief and what little bits of it that might have remained was crushed under the weight of his own sorrow.

All three of his sons stood in front of Raphael's door.

They were moving ….they were leaving this lair, and everyone was taking something with them. Something that was important enough that they dare not risk losing it, and if Raphael was here …he would be doing the same. Yet, with him gone …what of his important thing. What of him? The answer was clear someone would have to retrieve something, for even gone, they couldn't simply move on without him. Though, none of them was brave enough to do it, their hearts hurt too much to step through that door, and thus, they had gathered in front of it. A barrier made of wood that was more solid than any brick wall. A door that could easily open with just the touch of a hand, but to touch the handle would require a strength none of them had.

Frozen …stuck

He had to set them free. He had gone into the room where his sons dare not enter, and through the sorrow, regret, and pain …he had gather the things that he knew his son would have wanted to take with him. Things that now would decorate his memorial. He probably had seemed so strong to them then, if only they knew how weak he felt. How sick and hurt his heart was.

Maybe they would reconsider what they now ask of him.

But, he wouldn't show weakness …not when they need him to be strong.

The rat master took a deep breathe before his eyes fell upon his three remaining sons.

"What I have to tell you …is not easy to hear, nor, did I hide it because I figure you couldn't handle it. There are just some truths, that one is better never knowing. That can serve no other purpose than to cause pain."

"I do not wish to tell you….because it will hurt you."

He was stalling and they all knew it, but he can only stall for so long, and his sons had learned patiences. They would not assure him of their strength, they would not stop him, they let him finish my tale and as he had predicted the effects were devastating. Now, they understood …what he had tried to tell them from the beginning.

They could not save their brother.

He was already gone.

Master Splinter knew words would come next, but he failed to predict what his purple mask son would say.

"That is impossible!"

The voice resounded across the room as he glares into that single eye. There was consciousness there, there was intellect. He was sure of it, and the fox wasn't happy at all as the flames on his tail blaze higher. That single green eye that looked at him, and suddenly everything was falling apart.

One flame would leap from his tail, the form developing as it hit the ground into that of one of his shadow ninja. The humanoid creature bows to his startle master as he waits his commands.

"Check his pulse."

The fox already knew the answer, but still ..he wanted to be sure. The creature didn't even think twice as it walks towards the turtle and places one hand against the turtle's neck. A few tension moments would pass before it would lock eyes with the mutant. The fox's fur would stand on end as he got the answer. His entire body would fluffy up around the GI, and he would take a few steps back before he would release a string of curses so long and strong that if it had power …would have peeled the paint from the walls.

"This day gets worst and worst."

He would finally utter at last, and then look at the turtle as he growled.

"How to kill you …how to kill you again? I can't leave marks, no that will ruin the plan, and you being alive will be trouble …even if you can't move. Why can't you move?"

The creature started to pace.

"NO matter …the master believes I succeeded at least in killing you, and to show I had to do it again. He won't take a second failure kindly …not even a corrected one. The idea that I lied to him about your true status. He will chop my tails off …just for the insolences."

His fur would lay flat as he finally stops pacing and smiled.

"Drowning ….leaves no marks, but you are a turtle. So, you can hold your breath for a long time, and you are too heavy to move. Can't move..you can't move right now …so maybe just holding a pillow over your face will be enough. Smothering ….I like that. It would make me feel better to kill you with my own paws anyway. It also leaves no marks."

The fox's grin would widen as he started to show off every tooth in his maw. Those fangs standing out as he would turn to leave the room. Afterall, a corpse had no need for a pillow, but the fox was sure he could find one ….somewhere. This was a base, so surely one of these people had to sleep sometime, and then ….then he would solve all his problems.

The door would swish shut behind him as Raph stared at where the fox had once been. He would strain inside of his own skin, but nothing would respond. Nothing, not his arm, not his mouth, hell ….he couldn't even close his own eye. Thankfully blinking didn't require his own input, otherwise, he would be dealing with one hell of a dry eye. The once red masked turtle would sigh inside of his own head.

He just couldn't catch a break.

His time was swiftly running out.

Chapter 5 ….finished.


	6. Chapter 6

Master Splinter's story finished …and no one knew what to say. Their brother had been dead for days, and they had accepted his replacement in his stead. Worst yet, their brother's spirit might have lingered around long enough to watch all of this, including their father's mercy killing of him. Yet, he didn't hate them. He had instead used whatever power or essence was left of himself to save them. He was truly gone now, but, the idea that …they were the cause of all of his pain in the end. That they hadn't sent him off the way they should have …it had fists curl and lips being bitten as they tried to keep the pain contained. It was not an easy thing to process.

They would need time, but it's something that Master Splinter couldn't give. The risk of recklessness due to grief, misunderstandings, or badly drawn conclusions was too high. He had to be sure that they would follow his plan. He had to secure what was left of his family.

"So, you must understand now … there is no point in going after your brother's body. He is gone."

They all flinch at his words, including himself. It hurt more than he thought it would. Afterall, he had had longer to come to grips with it. He had lost a family before, so, he should be more use to this. Yet, experience didn't lessen the burn, the way his heart spasm at the words … it was no different and no better than the last time. He would never grow use to it, and he swore this was the last time. He would protect what was left of his family, and that determination alone gave him strength as he looked into eyes fill with regret, hurt, and sorrow.

"No, father."

Leo would declare lightly, putting any notion of this being easy out of his head. Master Splinter shouldn't have been surprised. When was anything easy when dealing with teenagers? The older rat's ears would go up at his son's words as Leo took his silences to mean he should continue.

"I don't understand. WE abandoned him once, and even though he is gone …you are asking us to abandon him again. That isn't right … it's…."

"Not fair."

Master Splinter would finish for the young turtle.

"Life isn't fair, and I know that well. You have to sometimes make the best of what you have or what you have been given. I got lucky, life took one great thing from me and gave me another. But sometimes, there is no trade of equal or greater value. Sometimes, a defeat … is just that …defeat."

"You have to know when to let go …or else you risk losing everything."

He was trying to reason as Leo met his eyes, and his other two sons shift closer to their blue mask older brother. Side by side, they face their father, and Master Splinter knew he was in for another battle. One he couldn't afford to lose as they tried to counter his words with reason and he would try to counter theirs with logic.

There were no winners or losers in this argument.

Only …survival.

Raph was working hard to get his body to response. If he didn't managed it, he would die, and he had already experienced it once and he had no reason to want to deal with that again. Thus, he worked frantically trying to command his body to do something …anything other than just lay there.

Panic ..change to rage …and rage to frustration.

Nothing, nothing responded as the door would open and the fox walks in with a smile on his face. The pillow in his hands actually looked menacing, which said a lot considering it was pink with purple dots.

A sarcastic remark came to mind, but, since it wouldn't exit his mouth it was a inside joke.

Not his favorite kind.

He would rather share.

Though that wasn't possible as the fox would move towards his table side as he held it over his head. The shadow of it would block out the world, as he felt the pressure of it against his chest and face. He wanted to scream, to fight, to curse, but he could do nothing as he held his breath and the seconds seem to turn into minutes and hours. No new air as the pressure forced the stale air to stay in his lungs, until it burns.

He didn't want to die.

He wanted to fight back.

But, ….there was nothing he could do.

One eye open in fear, but, his resolve kept the air trap in his lung for as long as possible. The franticness of his heart thudded hard against his chest as each moment continued to stretch and then slowly …the burning changed to agony. His heart's fluttering turned into a painful banging that he knew wouldn't last much longer.

He was going to die.

The agony of that realization ….disappeared as his resolve was slowly melting to a painful acceptance.

He was going to die.

Then suddenly ….it was gone. The pressure, the pain, everything ….as the darkness was removed and the pillow landed softly on the ground as Raphael couldn't help his coughs as his lungs starved took in great gulps of air. His mind not even trying to process the hows or whys until, he heard a voice growl from further away.

"What in the hell is going on in here?"

A very familiar voice.

(Chapter 6 …finished)


	7. Chapter 7

The fox would back away swiftly as he heard the coughing behind him. He couldn't hide this as his Master would push him to the side and glare down at the once decease turtle. His eyes would then lock back on the fox, and the smaller creature would soon find himself flung against the wall hard. His back colliding painfully as three flames would touch the ground and his shadow ninjas would jump to protect the fallen fox. They would be slice in two in a matter of heart beats as the shadows would turn to flames for a moment before they were extinguish into nothing.

"Weak and useless."

He would sputter as Raphael got a good look at his savior's back. Rows upon rows of metal glinted in the space before him as tingles of purple reflected from the slits of the metal …making the silver glow with a purple aura.

Their enemy.

Well-known, so he had literally gone from the skillet into the fire. Why did he think it would be any different now? If only he could speak …if only….he would try and force movement. The words form in his head and fought for freedom. His voice came out as a croak as he chuckles lightly. The red mask turtle hid the shock at the thickness of his own voice. Yet, he didn't stop the words from tumbling out. Even if these were his last, he wasn't going to waste it.

"Darn it, in the books …Sleeping beauty got a prince, but what do I get ..…a walking tin can. Isn't life a bitch?"

Three turtles grumble as they went to the room of their eldest.

They had lost the battle with their rat sensei horribly. The argument was sound, and though they didn't agree they couldn't refute him. Arms crossed, anger shown in their faces as they would sit in a semi-circle.

"What now?"

The youngest would ask.

"What do you mean…what now?"

The eldest would respond back.

"Exactly what he said, because, we aren't going to just hid out here in the lair and let them do whatever to our brother's body. Right?"

Donatello would back up the youngest as the eldest looks away. Leonardo would finally respond after a few moments.

"What other choices do we have? We lost horribly last time, and I doubt it will go much better the next time. Besides, he is already gone …there is nothing left for us to do for him."

Those words though spoken by the eldest belong to their father.

"So?"

Mikey would declare back.

"So what, if we can't do anything else for him, …this isn't about Raphael any longer. It's about us, because, if we let them get away with this. If we leave things as they are now …I won't be able to look myself in the mirror, and I know you feel the same way. WE can't let this defeat stand, and at least….at least knowing what we do. We know Raph isn't suffering at their hands, so we can fight with a clear conscience."

"But Master Splinter said."

Leo interjected.

Donnie would grin at this.

"To quote Raph "He is sleeping right now, so if he doesn't know …it didn't happen."

Leo would actually smack himself lightly in the face. He would glare lightly at them.

"This is a bad idea."

"Yup, a really bad idea."

Mikey would agree.

"And I doubt, if we let this stand the enemy will go away."

Leo would continue on.

"I am 99.9% sure they will attack us again."

Donnie backs him up.

"Master Splinter will be furious."

Leo counters his own argument.

"Only if he finds out."

Mikey would chirp in helpfully.

"This is a really …really …really bad idea."

Leo would go back to his original starting point.

"I think I can figure out where they took Raph's body."

Donnie would say in an almost singsong voice.

Master Splinter had won the battle, but he had known the war wasn't over. So, he had resolve himself to check on them every few hours. He had hope …he would be wrong, that the conversation was enough, but he knew better. He looked at the empty room and then turned towards the door as he drops to the ground as he looks for the signs of where they had gone.

He would sniff the earth as he saw the different in the depth of the dirt. The trail once he found it would be easy to follow as he smiles to himself.

"Kids."

He mutter as he would hurry after them.

(Chapter 7 finished)


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Time was running out.**

Donnie had a plan. He knew how to find their brother, he knew how to find his body. They had hope with those words, they had hope with that knowledge. Yet, Donnie shared nothing, but it didn't matter.

**They streak through the night along the roof tops. **

**Yet, time was infinite.**

Their feet slid as their brother in purple came to a stop on a isolated rooftop.

This area was familiar. They knew this place.

It brought pain along with recognition, but, their purple masked brother didn't even flinch. He would stop and walk around the area as if it wasn't anything special. He would trace the path of the fight that had happen so long ago, because it held clues. It would direct him to his target, to the ones he wanted to hurt and the one .…he wanted to bring home.

**There really was no reason to rush.**

Did he not know where they were to go?

The thought make Mikey almost snap at his sibling, as he watches Donnie survey the site. He was expecting instant action, when they rushed out, a chance to make amends. If it took too long, if they failed, there was a chance they might not get to try again. They didn't have time for this, and he was prepared to snap at his brother when a hand would rest on his shoulder. Bright blue eyes would look into their darker brother's. They asked what he wasn't allowed to say. The answer he got in return made him snap his eyes away.

**It was the pain in their hearts, and the fire in their souls, that made them frantic with the illusion of time.**

Leo wanted Donnie to hurry as well, but, there was nothing more they could do at this moment but wait. Though he made it clear, he understood his brother's plight.

No, he wanted to get this right.

He wanted to make all that had harm them pay, and though, he felt like their foes were getting away. He would do nothing to interrupt their purple mask brother. Instead, he would bottle up his frustration and anger for later. Saving it, almost as if he feared, if it took too long, this rage would lessen and be replace by something much worst.

He had no time for such thoughts as he felt it creeping on him. Those other feelings, and he willed Donnie to hurry.

**Time was running out.**

But Donnie knew better.

Their enemies wasn't going anywhere. No, if his plan worked like he thought it would, everything would end tonight. His searching now, was simply an act for his brothers and for their mysterious opponent. For they were simply the bait, and he simply had to be patience.

**Yet, time was infinite.**

**For their brother's time had stop.**

**There really was no reason to rush.**

**His time had stop.**

The clacking of claws on a keyboard, and the duel world the fox found himself trap in as his shadow warriors roam the streets, the sewers, and he himself checked security cameras was more than a bit discerning. He hated this, he hated the situation he was in and he growled underneath his breathe. How stupid had he been? How could he allowed himself to fall so far and so fast?

The first place he had checked was empty.

Pools of blood, dented and broken walls ….there should have been at least one corpse there. That much blood, he actually expected to find all four dead, but they weren't. They had evaded death as if the rules didn't apply to them. Their home, the lair was empty, and it chuckled at him. He shook off the view of it, a simple command to keep looking, and he would switch their vision to nothing but background noises. His eyes and focus back on the monitor in front of him.

He had to find them or else…

A shiver ran down his spine.

24hours.

That was his time limit to finding the turtles. For he had failed his Master not once, not twice, but in fact ….three times. He clench his teeth in his own silent rage. He had made a moral mistake, but it wasn't the type of morals that many would think of. He was completely incapable of that type of change. No, his moral regarded rethinking of his own position, and a trend he should have caught earlier. A bit of logic that he had overlooked.

Tigerclaw, fame assassin, and under the Shedder's direct command, a complete failure. The one now known as Rocksteady, had been the boss of a criminal syndicate, and now, a bumbling idiot. Bebop, famed thief, now comic relief, and his mind ran down the trail of Shedder's minions and cronies, and there was two constant, Shedder and Turtles, and one end result … complete ruin.

What in the hell had he been thinking?

His frustration was mounting as he felt a tug from one of his minions, and a sense of relief flooded him. If he was able to get out of this, the fox told himself quite honestly, any other jobs that came from the Shedder would find itself burning in the flames of hell before he agreed to it again. That was if he could get the hell out of this one. NO amount of reward was worth ruining oneself, or this amount of pressure.

He pushed away from the console and cleared what was on the monitor. Time was on his side again, but first. He needed to see if he could plug up a few holes in his Master's plan. The plan would succeed, and the Fox would do a vanishing trick the likes …no one on this planet would be able to replicate. Now, he would simply go to inform the Boss of this new development.

Everything ends …tonight.

Slowly, oh so slowly …he rotated his wrist. Every rotation, every movement, …he felt more and more of his body. He felt, more and more of his arms, and Raphael smiled as he hung there by said limbs. Tied together, he smiled as the rest of his body still resisted his wishes.

He had been gagged and blind folded, but it didn't matter to him. Raphael knew those bonds can be broken, but the ones that was currently keeping his legs still …that was the battle he needed to fight now. That was the war he was going to win, and when he did.

Soon, very soon, the Shedder will regret his wish …to make his family suffer.

He will regret the fact that he didn't kill Raphael Hamato while he had the chance.


End file.
